Saturday, January 24, 2009

Sketch Week - Woman Reading Scriptures

I really need to do more portrait studies. This is where I just start to feel the pure rush of sketching. I think part of it has to do with being really really covert. People hold themselves differently when they suspect they are being watched. The outcome surprisingly enough is very similar to when you draw "what you think you know how to draw" instead of reality. In this case people "sit how they think they should sit in order to look as attractive and natural so that they will look good in the sketch and become famous". In reality it looks stilted and similar to a school photo.

This woman was sitting near to me, she took out a slim Bible and starting leafing through it looking for a particular chapter. Her fingers were very long and delicate and she paused with her hands on the page when she found what she was looking for.

I love that she had a bit of a slouch. The slope of her body in the chair adds a dimension to the picture that you cannot make up. If had been drawing what I thought I knew how to draw or if she had been sitting how she thought I would want her to sit - there would be no slouch, no breath of relaxation.

I like the eyes here. Just a smudge in the overall picture, but they convey "reading" not "sleeping". A subtle difference, that I'm glad I captured.

The hair and glasses are another part I'm satisfied with. I wish I had caught her arm and shoulder a bit better - but I don't think they are awkward or detract from the image.

I wish I had had coloured pencils with me when I sketched this - I would love to have caught skin tone and turned this into a small painting study.